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Painful Buttocks From Sciatica: Signs, Symptoms, And Finding Relief

2nd October, 2010 - Posted by health news - No Comments

There are dozens of possible causes of buttocks pain, and one of the most distressing is undoubtedly sciatic pain. When you have this condition, it’s known as sciatica.

Sciatica is actually a type of nerve pain and it occurs because of damage or trauma to the sciatic nerve. This nerve starts out in the spinal column, continues through the buttock area and down to the lower limbs. It is approximately equal to your thumb in diameter, and is the longest and largest single nerve in the body. So when it’s damaged, the resulting discomfort can be severe and unrelenting.

It’s also typical for sciatic nerve irritation to cause a tingling or numbing sensation along the nerve pathway.

Ordinarily, sciatic nerve pain starts in the spinal column, when discs or vertebrae are worn or injured. This results in inflammation along the nerve pathway. There are plenty of places sciatica can strike, depending on the location of the damage to the nerve: buttocks, back, legs or feet.

The sciatic nerve can become injured, damaged or worn in a number of ways. Some of the most common include the following.

A herniated disc, which occurs when a spinal disc presses against nerve roots, is a common cause of sciatica.

A typical cause of sciatica is poor posture. Your teachers knew what they were doing when they kept nagging you to sit up straight. Incorrect posture is likely to put pressure on the sciatic nerve in many ways.

A number of other medical conditions, diseases and disorders may cause sciatic pain, including:

a condition called spinal stenosis, caused by narrowing of the spinal canal

bone spurs caused by arthritis, or

compression or pinching of the nerve

Sciatica pain varies greatly depending on the nature of the problem. Sometimes it can be slight and annoying. But it can also be severe – even excruciating. Those who have had sciatica have reported that it can even feel like a jolt of electricity. Movement in the affected area can aggravate the discomfort. You could experience a sharp pain when you cough or sneeze. Sitting in the same place or position for an extended period of time can also intensify your pain.

Most of the time only one lower extremity is affected..

Sciatica frequently gets worse when you sit or stand for a long time. However, walking, lying down and movements that extend the spine may help reduce the pain.

Depending on the cause, acute sciatica usually goes away on its own without treatment within a couple of months. In the meantime, there are few options for getting relief..

Sadly, there have been no recent studies that have shown ice packs or heating pads to be much help.

However, over-the-counter pain relievers and certain kinds of steroid injections may be of some benefit.

If buttock pain from sciatica goes on for several days, or gets particularly intense, talk to your doctor about physical therapy. There are a number of exercises that may also help. Surgery for sciatic pain is usually done only in the most severe cases.

To get additional information on subjects related to buttock pain, click on buttock pain and hip pain and what is piriformis syndrome?. Neal Kennedy is a former TV and radio talk show host. To read more of his articles, visit What Causes Buttock Pain? at http://www.buttockpain.info.